Indian White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) [XC804418]
by Thet Zaw Naing from , Laos (song)
Indian White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) [XC823516]
by Greg Irving from , Myanmar (call)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) and Lowland White-eye (Zosterops meyeni), and sometimes considered conspecific with either or with both, but all appear morphologically distinct. Interbreeding with Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) occurs in southern China and northern Vietnam. Was formerly considered to form a species complex with Enggano White-eye (Zosterops salvadorii) and Everett's White-eye (Zosterops everetti): in that arrangement, subspecies siamensis treated as a full species, auriventer (together with subspecies tahanensis of Everett's White-eye (Zosterops everetti)) as another species, melanurus and unicus then constituting a third species, and remaining subspecies of present species (together with Enggano White-eye (Zosterops salvadorii) and remaining subspecies of Everett's White-eye (Zosterops everetti)) forming the fourth species. However, Enggano White-eye (Zosterops salvadorii) and everetti of Everett's White-eye (Zosterops everetti) now believed to be more distantly related to present species. Otherwise, populations in neighbourhood of Mt Pangrango, in western Java, are intermediate between subspecies buxtoni and melanurus. Subspecies egregius and salimalii possibly better subsumed in nominate. Birds of this species recorded in Cambodia of uncertain racial identity, provisionally included in williamsoni; those in Andaman Is currently included in nicobaricus, but possibly represent an as yet undescribed subspecies.
Proposed subspecies joannae (described from south-eastern Yunnan, in China) and occidentis (Shimla, in northern India) are synonymized with nominate, and amabilis (Kathiawar Peninsula, in western India) is merged with egregius.
The following 14 subspecies are recognised:
palpebrosus (Temminck, 1824) - South-eastern Arabia (Mahawt I, in Oman); north-eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India east to southern China (south-eastern Xizang, south-western Sichuan and Yunnan east to south-western Guangxi) and Myanmar (except southern and south-east).
nilgiriensis Ticehurst, 1927 - Southern western Ghats (hills of southern Karnataka and western Tamil Nadu), in south-western India.
salimalii Whistler, 1933 - Southern eastern Ghats (Shevaroy, Chitteri, Seshachalam, Nallamalai), in south-eastern India.
egregius Madarász, 1911 - Lowlands of India, Laccadive Is and Sri Lanka.
siamensis Blyth, 1867 - Southern Myanmar (Pegu, Kayah, Kayin), north, eastern and south-eastern Thailand and north-western Indochina.
nicobaricus Blyth, 1845 - Andaman Is and Nicobar Is (except south).
williamsoni Robinson and Kloss, 1919 - Gulf of Thailand coast (from Bangkok south to Pattani) and western Cambodia. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Swinhoe's White-eye (Zosterops simplex).
auriventer Hume, 1878 - Extreme southern Myanmar (southern Tenasserim), western coast of southern Thailand, western and south-eastern Peninsular Malaysia (including islands of Ra, Libong, Pinang, Kelang estuary Group and Pisang off western coast, and Tioman off eastern coast), Singapore, eastern coastal areas of Sumatra, Riau Is (Kundur), Bangka I, southern Natuna Is and Borneo (western Sarawak, Brunei). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Hume's White-eye (Zosterops auriventer). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Hume's White-eye (Zosterops auriventer).
buxtoni Nicholson, 1879 - Highlands of Sumatra, and extreme western Java (Bantam and Bogor). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Sangkar White-eye (Zosterops melanurus).
melanurus Hartlaub, 1865 - Java and Bali. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Sangkar White-eye (Zosterops melanurus). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Sangkar White-eye (Zosterops melanurus).
unicus E. J. O. Hartert, 1897 - Lesser Sundas (Sumbawa and Flores). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Pale White-eye (Zosterops citrinella).
occidentis Ticehurst, 1927 - North-eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern, central India, western Himalayas.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet